Gu Rong and his group had just arrived at the Sunset Forest.
Before they could even take action—
A domineering, chilling aura slammed down on them like a tidal wave!
Aside from Gu Rong, even Ning Fengzhi felt immense pressure.
Everyone was utterly shocked!
"A Rank 96 Peak Douluo!" Gu Rong narrowed his eyes. "I didn't expect that after all these years, the Haotian Douluo would still suppress me by a level."
Gu Rong was a Rank 95 Title Douluo.
"Haotian Douluo?" Tang San's eyes lit up with excitement. "Uncle Bone, are you sure?"
Gu Rong gazed toward the heart of the forest and nodded slightly.
"When I was younger, I sparred with Haotian Douluo. This aura—unyielding yet icy cold—belongs to no one else."
...
Getting mercilessly beaten down could still count as sparring, right?
Hearing this, Tang San grinned and immediately took off in that direction.
—That old bastard hid this from me for so long. A dignified Title Douluo? No way I'm not squeezing some benefits out of this!
"Hey! Xiao San, don't run off like that!" Dai Mubai called out. "That's Haotian Your Majesty! If you rush in recklessly—"
"It's fine!" Tang San didn't even look back. "Haotian Douluo is my father!"
His tone carried undisguised pride.
As if he himself were the Haotian Douluo.
And truthfully, he had managed to flex just right.
Dai Mubai stood there, dumbfounded, mouth agape.
What the hell?!
Your dad is Haotian Douluo?!
Oscar and the others, who had been unaware, were also frozen in shock.
Has Tang San... gone insane?
"Don't just stand there." Gu Rong urged. "Catch up to him! This is the Sunset Forest!"
Everyone snapped out of their daze and instinctively chased after Tang San, their minds swirling with questions.
They all turned to Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong for confirmation.
"Lan Di and Xiao San are indeed the children of His Majesty Haotian." Ning Fengzhi confirmed.
A wave of gasps rippled through the group!
Once they processed the revelation—
Oscar murmured, "No wonder the Sect Master and Master have such insane talent..."
Dai Mubai nodded in agreement.
Haotian Douluo!
The youngest Title Douluo in history!
He took on three at once and even killed the former Pope! A combat legend!
Tang Lan is actually his son?!
No wonder he was such a monstrous talent.
As for Tang San—
Twin Martial Souls, innate full spirit power.
His talent was undeniably top-tier as well.
But compared to Tang Lan's brilliance, he seemed lackluster.
And in terms of character, the two were worlds apart.
Among the group, Zhu Zhuqing's cold, sharp gaze carried a trace of nervousness.
This is suddenly turning into a "meet the parents" situation...?
Does His Majesty Haotian even know about her relationship with Tang Lan...?
And more importantly, will he recognize her legitimacy as the later-arriving partner...?
As for the rest—
They were simply ecstatic!
Originally, they thought the Tang Sect had a promising future.
But now, that future had arrived far sooner than expected!
Haotian Douluo!
With this legendary figure backing them, the Tang Sect could immediately rival the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!
Tang Lan had just come to a halt when his Blue Silver Grass relayed information to him.
The timing wasn't bad.
But it didn't matter.
Zhu Zhuqing and the others were already his closest confidants.
Gu Rong, Ning Fengzhi, and Ning Rongrong were all on the same boat.
They knew exactly what could and couldn't be said.
"Boom!"
A muffled explosion rang out.
A massive crater appeared at Tang Lan's feet.
Across from him—
Tang Hao was casually tossing a pebble, speaking in a chastising tone—
"Losing focus in battle is a dangerous habit."
Tang Lan remained silent.
With a mere lift of his hand—
His Soul Spirit Domain's Mirage ability activated.
The surrounding space shifted, and in the blink of an eye, the two of them were transported back into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
A Yin stood between them, making Tang Hao instantly grip his pebble tightly—
Afraid that if he moved recklessly, he might accidentally harm his wife.
Then—
"Heaven's Eye Soul Bone Ability—Burial of Life!"
From beneath Tang Hao's feet, countless strands of Soul-Powered Blue Silver Emperor burst forth, engulfing him instantly.
Devour Mode—Activated!
The purest mist-like purple energy was effortlessly converted into Nine Yang Divine Power.
—And this was exactly why Tang Lan was willing to teach the Nine Yang Divine Skill.
"Dad, losing focus in battle is a dangerous habit."
Tang Lan returned the words right back at Tang Hao.
Tang Hao chuckled.
This brat.
At first, he didn't take it seriously. He simply reached out, intending to tear off the Life-Soul Blue Silver Emperor.
But when he pulled—
It didn't budge an inch!
With extreme life attributes and the enhancement of five nearly 80,000-year soul rings, its resilience was absolutely terrifying.
Even Tang Hao couldn't break free so easily.
And besides—
Tang Lan wasn't about to sit back and watch him try!
"Explode!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom—"
All the Life-Soul Blue Silver Emperor vines detonated at once, sending countless razor-sharp spikes surging in the shockwaves.
The ground was instantly riddled with craters, collapsing on the spot.
"Whoooosh—"
The fierce wind swept away the dust, revealing Tang Hao, who had activated Haotian Body Shield for protection.
He dissipated the glowing shield and planted his Haotian Hammer into the ground.
His gaze toward Tang Lan was filled with surprise.
Originally, he had intended to fight Tang Lan barehanded—
Just like how he had barehandedly beaten Zhao Wuji and Flender.
But before he even got the chance to say it, his Martial Soul was already forced out?
...Good thing he didn't say it out loud.
Otherwise, wouldn't that have been embarrassing as hell?
"Your Martial Soul's strength is even superior to most Soul Douluo." Tang Hao frowned. "Is this because of your soul bone ability?"
Tang Lan shook his head.
He dispelled the Blue Silver Domain's disguise, revealing the black crystal embedded in his Life-Soul Blue Silver Emperor.
The crystal dissolved, and his soul rings reappeared—
Black. Black. Black. Black. Black!
Tang Hao's eyes gradually widened!
The overwhelming presence of purely thousand-year soul rings—
And at least 70,000 years each!
"Son, how the hell did you do this?!" Tang Hao exclaimed in disbelief. "Your first soul ring was only around 6,000 years, wasn't it? You're telling me soul rings can evolve?!"
Well, damn.
Tang Hao was this informed?
So, he had been paying attention all along—just keeping his mouth shut about it.
"Yes, but also no." Tang Lan explained. "This is my inherited Life-bound Soul Ring. Its age increases as my endurance limit rises."
Tang Hao scratched his head.
"I know about Life-bound Soul Rings. Ah Yin told me that when a Blue Silver Emperor reaches Rank 60 and fully matures, the Life-bound Soul Ring naturally manifests."
"But you're saying your first five soul rings are all Life-bound Soul Rings?"
"And... it can work like that?"
Tang Hao was utterly dumbfounded.
Tang Lan was only Rank 59, yet his soul rings had already surpassed 70,000 years.
If he reached Rank 80 and became a Soul Douluo, wouldn't all his rings be 100,000 years?!
This setup...
Luxurious.
Yet completely absurd.
The only explanation was—
As expected of the Dragon God's reincarnation.
No ordinary person could pull off something this ridiculous.
Tang Hao's interest was piqued.
Maybe...
Tang Lan really could go a few rounds with him.
Tang Hao slung the Haotian Hammer onto his shoulder.
"Some Title Douluo don't even have a 70,000-year soul ring for their ninth ring."
"Yet you have five of them already. The enhancements you receive are comparable to a Rank 95 Title Douluo."
"Alright, you qualify to fight your old man."
"Come at me. I'll let you have three free moves."
Arrogant as hell.
But Tang Hao had the qualifications to be this cocky.
"Then I won't hold back!"
Tang Lan unleashed his Blue Silver Domain, instantly spawning massive quantities of Life-Soul Blue Silver Emperor vines that completely engulfed Tang Hao's form.
At the same time—
All five of his soul rings lit up at once!
Then, four of them dimmed—
Only the third soul ring shone brilliantly!
"Ring Fusion—Burial of Life!"
Within the area, all the Life-Soul Blue Silver Emperor vines expanded explosively to the thickness of a grown man's arm, turning a 100-meter radius into a death trap.
A vast surge of purple mist-like energy gushed forth, rapidly replenishing the consumed energy from the Ring Fusion technique.
Tang Lan continued manipulating the Life-Soul Blue Silver Emperor vines, weaving them into an impenetrable net, layer upon layer, reinforcing the structure to make it even harder for Tang Hao to break through.
However—
"BOOM—!"
A deafening explosion rang out.
From within the Life-Soul Blue Silver Emperor vines, a blurred afterimage shot forth, charging straight at Tang Lan!
Tang Lan instantly activated Ripple Steps.
Without moving his feet, he twisted his upper body, narrowly dodging the attack by mere inches.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—"
The impact behind him flattened a massive portion of the forest, blasting a hole straight through the mountain rock, forming a cave in the cliffside.
A three-meter-long Haotian Hammer was embedded deep within.
Tang Hao strode out from the tunnel he had just punched through, gripping his hammer.
Soul power surged around his body as he tore apart the remaining restraints.
His gaze toward Tang Lan was now filled with even more admiration.
"Ring Fusion?"
"Not bad. Not bad at all."
"I thought about learning it once, but it seemed like too much hassle, so I never bothered."
"For most Title Douluo, if they don't use their fifth soul skill or higher, they wouldn't be able to break through this technique in the short term."
"It's honestly hard to believe... you're really just 13 years old?"
"Dad, you're asking me? You're the one who gave birth to me."
Tang Lan spread his hands innocently.
Tang Hao burst into hearty laughter!
A thick black mist emerged beneath his feet, spreading outward to enshroud his entire body—
Slaughter God Domain!
He wasn't trying to show off—he was using it to counteract Tang Lan's Soul Spirit Domain!
"So you noticed, huh?" Tang Lan chuckled. "Too bad—it's useless."
Tang Hao's Slaughter God Domain was just the basic version.
Meanwhile, Tang Lan's Soul Spirit Domain had evolved three times!
At best, it could weaken the effect slightly, but it couldn't stop the constant drain on Tang Hao's soul energy.
"You brat! Is this a new ability from Blue Silver Domain?" Tang Hao asked.
"You could say that." Tang Lan grinned. "It's the soul attribute of Life-Soul Blue Silver Emperor. After evolving into an extreme attribute, it transformed into Soul Spirit Domain—and has undergone three more evolutions since then."
Tang Hao's eyelid twitched!
How the hell did this kid describe something so complex like it was nothing?!
And also—
"Domains can evolve?" Tang Hao asked in surprise.
"Of course." Tang Lan tilted his head. "Mom never told you? Just now, when I was channeling energy into her, Blue Silver Domain evolved again—adding a new 'binding' function to its existing form manipulation and mental suppression abilities."
Tang Hao: "..."
At that time, I was too busy whispering sweet nothings to Ah Yin—who the hell would talk about cultivation in such a moment?
But obviously, he couldn't admit that to his son.
Tang Hao raised his Haotian Hammer, pointing it forward with one hand.
"Enough stalling. You've got one minute left—use your last two moves."
Tang Lan felt a little disappointed.
He was hoping to see whether Soul Spirit Domain could completely drain Tang Hao's soul energy...
Oh well.
He retracted the Life-Soul Blue Silver Emperor vines and summoned the Thunderflame Haotian Hammer!
"Zzzzt—"
A burst of electricity crackled through the air—
The Thunderflame Haotian Hammer materialized, landing beside Tang Lan, its handle reaching up to his shoulder.
Martial Soul Manifestation!
Behind him, the Life-Soul Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul reappeared.
Twin Martial Souls—coexisting!
Tang Hao's eyes bulged!
"Twin Martial Souls... can be used at the same time?!"
Tang Lan ignored him.
He gripped the Thunderflame Haotian Hammer—
Starting from his calves, channeling power through his waist, driving the hammer with full force toward Tang Hao!
Tang Hao didn't hold back either.
He lifted his Haotian Hammer, mirroring the exact same hammer-swinging technique—clashing head-on with Tang Lan!
"BOOM—CLANG—"
Both of them spun around to dissipate the force.
Tang Hao barely felt a thing, only releasing a faint ripple of soul power.
Tang Lan, however, had to activate Extreme Power, barely managing to withstand the "Rank 77 Soul Saint's" recoil force.
Both of them used the rebound to swing again—
This time, adding even more force!
"BOOM—CLANG—"
Spin—stack—strike again!
"BOOM—CLANG—"
"BOOM—CLANG—"
"BOOM—CLANG—"
Like a perfectly synchronized copy-paste, both of them unleashed the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique, clashing blow-for-blow!
Tang Hao was observing—he wanted to see Tang Lan's true limits.
He took a defensive approach, feeding Tang Lan strikes to push him further.
By the twentieth hammer strike—
The mere shockwaves of their battle had already spread over a kilometer, flattening everything in its path—grass, trees, boulders—all obliterated!
And since Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Techniquegrows stronger with each strike, the impact radius kept expanding!
This left Tang San, who had eagerly chased after them, stuck outside the battlefield, unable to get close.
He activated Purple Demon Eye, staring in utter shock at the two clashing figures!
Big Brother...
He's actually...
Dueling Dad... against Dad?!
Dad is Haotian Douluo!
A pure offense-type Title Douluo!!
And Big Brother... is what level?!
This... I... he...
The others, including Dai Mubai, who had caught up, were equally stunned.
They had never seen Tang Lan fight at full power before, but they knew he was freakishly strong.
But this?
This was beyond anything they could have imagined!
"Tang Hao isn't even using full power." Gu Rong analyzed. "Judging by the damage output, Tang Lan's attacks are already reaching around Rank 79... frightening potential."
Still—
Tang Lan isn't even a Soul Emperor yet!
A five-ring Soul King generating Soul Douluo-level damage?
Sure, Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer was cumulative, but you still needed a solid base to handle the force!
If Tang San had tried this—
Forget redirecting power—he would have been torn apart instantly.
"PFFT—!"
Tang Lan's Eight Spider Lances suddenly extended, providing another full-body enhancement!
"BOOM—CLANG—"
The shockwaves intensified—growing even stronger!
Tang San, closest to the battlefield, was instantly blown away!
He crashed down miserably, his eyes filled with existential doubt.
—I can't even qualify to watch anymore?!
"He's at Rank 80 now." Gu Rong muttered. "A five-ring Soul King... unleashing the power of an eight-ring Soul Douluo... Incredible."
The others were too shocked to even react.
"PFFT—!"
Suddenly, the Ice Jade Scorpion Tail stabbed out!
With its 70,000-year power, it gave Tang Lan a 70% strength boost!
"BOOM—CLANG—"
The shockwave expanded again, engulfing Dai Mubai and the others!
An overwhelming sense of danger slammed into them!
Gu Rong quickly raised his hand, conjuring a soul power barrier to block the blast.
"Rank 83!" Gu Rong exclaimed. "This little monster—where's his limit?!"
His answer came in the form of—
The Extinction Meteor Scorpion's Left Foot Bone!
A 50,000-year soul bone, granting another 50% power boost!
"BOOM—CLANG—"
The shockwave violently shook Gu Rong's soul barrier, making Dai Mubai and the others tremble in fear!
"Rank 85?!" Gu Rong gasped. "Wait—something's off! All three of those are External Soul Bones?!"
Not just Gu Rong—
Even Tang Hao'seyes widened as he stiffly turned his head, staring at the three external soul bones.
How many soul beasts did his son have to slaughter to get all three?!
Wait!
Tang Lan is the Dragon God's heir—he stands on the side of soul beasts!
How could he possibly—?
Unless...
Did the soul beasts... sacrifice themselves willingly?!
"Dad! You're zoning out again!"
Tang Lan's entire body radiated golden light—
Perfect Vajra Indestructible Body—activated!
Full-body physique enhancement—tenfold!
"DOOOM—!"
The golden light deepened, shifting into lustrous gold—
Indestructible Vajra Physique—further amplified by the Nine Yang Divine Skill!
With the eighty-th hammer strike—
Tang Lan's power exploded—
A hundredfold increase in force!
Tang Hao snapped back to reality—
And his first reaction was—
What the hell kind of busted crap is this?!
(End of Chapter.)
Notes-Read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X